On-line User Guide
Note:
- This is a condensed version of the Manual.
- The full version is on the CD-ROM provided with
your Network Storage Link.
- For information about each screen, please use the help button and file.
Contents
Getting Familiar with the Network Storage Link
Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with your new Network Storage Link.
Important !
- The Network Storage Link must be powered down
correctly. While On, pressing the power switch for 3 seconds will start
the shutdown process. Do not disconnect (or switch off) power to the
Network Storage Link before the shutdown is complete.
Front Panel

Front Panel
The front panel has 4 LEDs and one Power Switch.
The power switch is a "soft switch".
- If the Network Storage Link is powered
off, you can start it up by briefly pressing the power switch.
- To power down the Network Storage Link,
press the power switch, and wait for the shutdown process to be
completed. Upon completion, all LEDs will turn Off.
LED Operation
LED operation is described in the following table. Note that the "Ready/Status" LED has 2 colors - Green (Ready) and Amber (Status). These are listed separately.
LED
|
Function
|
Ready LED (Green)
|
ON - normal operation
OFF - no power
Blinking - This LED blinks during startup
and shutdown.
|
Status LED (Amber)
|
ON - This LED will be On during the Startup self-test; it will turn Off
once the self-test is completed. If it stays ON, there is a hardware error.
OFF - normal operation
Blinking - During a software upgrade, both the Status and
Ready LEDs will blink.
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Ethernet
|
ON - Link established.
OFF - No LAN connection.
Blinking - Data is transmitted or received via the LAN.
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Disk 2
|
ON - Flash drive or Hard Disk in the Upper USB port is available.
OFF - No drive installed.
Slow Blinking - Flash drive can be removed.
Fast Blinking - Data is being transferred to or from the flash drive.
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Disk 1
|
ON - USB Hard Disk Drive connected to the Lower USB port is available.
OFF - No USB drive installed.
Fast Blinking - Data is being transferred to or from the USB Hard Disk Drive.
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Rear Panel
All ports and connectors are on the rear panel.

Network Storage Link Rear Panel
Component
|
Description
|
Ethernet connector
|
Use this to connect the Network Storage Link to your LAN.
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Disk 2
|
Connect your USB Flash Drive (USB key) or USB disk here.
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Disk 1
|
Connect your USB Hard Disk Drive here. (Do NOT connect a Flash Drive here; it will not be recognized.)
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Reset Button (IP/Password)
|
This button has 2 functions:
- If the Network Storage Link's IP Address
is lost, press and hold this button for 2 seconds. The IP Address
will be set to the default value of 192.168.1.77 and it will beep
once to indicate the reset has occurred.
- If the Network Storage Link's password is
lost, press and hold this button for 10 seconds. The password will
then be set to the default value of "admin", and the Network
Storage Link will beep again.
|
Power Input
|
Connect the supplied power adapter here.
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Audible Warnings
Audible warnings (beeps) will be generated under the following conditions.
Audible Warning
|
Condition
|
1 Beep
|
Reset button or power switch is pressed.
|
2 Beeps Repeated every 5 seconds for 1 minute.
|
Network Storage Link is a DHCP client, but no DHCP Server responded to the
DHCP client request.
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Installation
The following section instructs you on how to physically connect the
Network Storage Link to the network, and how to configure the Network Storage Link for basic
operation in your Windows environment. Everything you need to do to get your
Network Storage Link up and running is covered here. Connecting Everything
Together and Booting Up
Requirements
The following conditions are required to begin the installation of the
Network Storage Link to your system.
- TCP/IP protocol on your PCs.
- To connect to a network, an available port on a
hub or switch.
- To store data, you need a USB flash drive and/or a USB Hard Disk Drive.
- Flash Drives can only be inserted in the UPPER USB port (Disk 2).
- USB HDDs can be connected to either
USB port (Disk 1 or Disk 2)
Hardware Installation
If the above conditions are met, follow the steps below to begin the
installation of your Network Storage Link.

1. Connect the network cable to the Network Storage Link.
- Locate the RJ45 network cable that came packaged
with your Network Storage Link. Plug it into the RJ45 socket on the
Network Storage Link's rear panel, and connect the other end of the
cable to your hub or switch.
2. Connect the the USB Storage Devices.
- USB flash memory devices (USB Key) can only be inserted in the UPPER USB port (Disk 2)
- USB Hard Disk Drives can be connected to either USB port (Disk 1 or Disk 2).
- For details on removing or changing USB storage
devices, see the following section.
3. Connect the power.
- Plug the supplied power cord into the Network Storage Link's power input, located on the Network Storage Link's rear panel. Connect the other end of the power cord to a power outlet.
4. Power on.
- The power switch is on the front panel. Press it once to power on the Network Storage Link.
4. The Network Storage Link's self-test.
- Now that its power is on, the Network Storage Link's boot process will begin. The Network Storage Link will run a brief self-test (2 or 3 seconds) prior to actually booting up. During the self-test, all of the Network Storage Link's LEDs will be illuminated or flashing.
6. Booting up.
- When the self-test is complete, the Status (Amber) LED will turn Off, the Ready (Green) LED will blink continuously, and the Ethernet LED will blink occasionally. This signifies that the Network Storage Link is in the actual process of booting up. Boot up should take approximately 1-3 minutes. It will take longer on the first boot up, and on any boot up following an improper shutdown.
7. Boot up completed.
- When Boot up is completed, the Ready (Green) LED and the Ethernet LED will be On.
- If a Flash Memory or USB Disk
is connected to the upper USB port, the Disk 2 LED should be On.
- If a USB HDD is connected to the lower USB port, the Disk 1 LED should be On.
- If the Network Storage Link repeatedly beeps,
there is a hardware problem. Consult this user guide's Troubleshooting
section for possible solutions.
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Changing USB Storage Devices
Changing a Flash Memory Disk (Upper USB Port)
Inserting a Flash Memory Disk
You can insert a Flash Memory Disk at any time. Once the "Memory Disk" LED on the front panel comes on, and stays on, the Flash Memory Disk is available for use.
Removing a Flash Memory Disk
- Run the Windows utility
- Select "Safely Remove Drive"
- Select the desired Network Storage Link
- Click the "Eject" button.
- Wait for the "Disk 2" LED to start blinking
slowly. (The Windows program will also display a message when it is safe to physically detach the Flash Memory disk.)
- Remove the Flash Memory Disk.
Note: If the Flash Memory Disk is not removed, it will not be re-connected.
You must remove and re-insert the Flash Memory Disk to have it re-connected. Changing a USB Hard Disk Drive
The USB Hard Disk Drive can only be changed when the Network Storage Link is powered OFF!
While the Network Storage Link is powered Off, you can safely disconnect an existing USB HDD, and connect the desired USB HDD.
A new USB Hard Disk Drive must be formatted before it can be used.
- For initial installation, the Windows-based Setup Wizard will check if the USB HDD has been formatted, and will offer to format the HDD if it is not yet formatted. The format operation will destroy any existing data on the disk.
- If a new USB HDD is connected at a later date, you can use the Web-based UI to format the new HDD. This option is on the Disk screen, accessed via the Administration menu.
Note: Hard Disk Drives used on the Network Storage Link are NOT compatible with any version of Windows. You cannot swap USB HDDs between Windows and the Network Storage Link.
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Configuring Your Network Storage Link
Now that everything is connected and powered on, you are ready to configure
your Network Storage Link so that it is accessible to the users on your network.
You will have to install the Network Storage Link Utility on your PCs to access the
Network Storage Link's Quick Setup features. Quick Setup with the Network Storage Link
Wizard
The following procedure configures the Network Storage Link, ready for use on
your LAN.
- This procedure only needs to be done ONCE, by
the Network Storage Link's Administrator.
- Other users on the network should follow the Client PC Setup
procedure described in the following section.
- Insert the CD-ROM supplied with your Network
Storage Link into your PC's CD-ROM drive.
- The setup screen should appear after a few seconds. If it does not, run
the program SetupUtility.exe in the root (top) folder of your CD-ROM.
- Click "Setup" to start the Setup Wizard. The
Wizard will begin scanning your network for installed Network Storage
Links.
- Select the desired Network Storage Link, and
click "Yes".
- You will be prompted for the Network Storage Link's password.
Enter the current password. The default value is "admin".
- Step through the Wizard, completing each screen.
- On the final screen, click "Save" to save your data to the Network Storage Link.
The Network Storage Link is now operational.
Note:
- If the USB HDD attached to the Network Storage Link has not previously been used by the Network Storage Link,
you will be prompted to format it. You MUST format the disk to make it usable in the Network Storage Link,
but the format operation will destroy any data on the disk.
- The Network Storage Link's disk format is NOT
compatible with Windows. You cannot swap USB HDDs between Windows
systems and Network Storage Links.
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Other Configuration
After the configuration above, all Windows users can access the Network Storage Link with "Guest" access rights. This allows to access to the flash drive (if installed) and the Shared Data folder on the USB disk.
However, we recommend creating an Network Storage Link "User" for each person on
your LAN. This will provide each person on your LAN with their own login (name
and password) as well as their own personal folder on the Network Storage Link. The Web-based Interface
The Web-based Interface you are now using provides access to all the settings available in the Wizard,
and is the only way to create Users, Groups, and Shares.
- Users must be created by using the "Users" option under "Administration". See the "Client Setup" section of this document for details on setting up PCs to login to the Network Storage Link whenever they start.
- Groups are groups of users. To simplify administration, access rights (to data stored on the Network Storage Link) is assigned to user groups, rather than individual users.
- Shares are folders on the Network Storage Link which are visible under Microsoft networking - they can be seen in Network Neighborhood/My Network Places.
For details on using this Web-based interface, please use the help file for each screen.
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Client PC Setup
Overview
Supported versions of Windows are:
- Windows 95/98/ME or later
- Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000
- Windows XP
The following items may need to be checked or configured:
- TCP/IP protocol.
- Network Logon (Windows 95/98/ME only)
- Mapping to the Network Storage Link's storage.
TCP/IP
Setup
Normally, no changes are required to each PC.
Check with your LAN administrator (or Network Storage Link Administrator) to see if any
changes are required.
Network
Logon (Windows 95/98/ME only)
If using Windows 2000 or XP, ignore this section. You do not need to make any changes to your network configuration.
If using Windows 95/98/ME, you must Logon to the Network correctly in order to use the Network Storage Link,:
- Check your Window logon using Start - Settings - Control Panel -
Network.
Ensure the Primary Network Logon is set to "Client for
Microsoft Networks", as shown below.
Note: If this is already set, there is no need to make any
changes.

Windows Logon
- Windows will prompt you to Logon to the Network when it boots.
You
must logon. If you press ESC, or click Cancel, no network
resources will be available. When you logon, you need to use a valid User
Name and Password.
- If the Network Storage Link Administrator has defined users on the
Network Storage Link, use the User Name and password they supply.
- If you use a User Name and password which is not recognized by the
Network Storage Link, you can still use it, with guest access rights. By
default, this allows read/write access to the "public" share, but the
Administrator can set the guest access rights as they wish.
Storing Files
To store files on the Network Storage Link, you should "Map" a drive letter to
each folder on the Network Storage Link folder which you wish to access. The
"Network Drive" will then be available to all Windows programs. The procedure is
as follows:
- Double-click the Network Neighborhood (or My Network Places) icon
on the desktop.
- On the "View" menu, select Details. The Comment
column will now be visible.
- Locate the Network Storage Link, as shown below. If it is not listed,
double-click Entire Network. Then double-click the Workgroup that the
Network Storage Link is in. (By default, the Network Storage Link is in
Workgroup.)

Network Browse
- Double-click the icon for the Network Storage
Link.
- Right-click a folder (directory) to which you have access, and select Map
Network Drive, as shown below.

Map Network Drive
- Select a drive letter for this folder, and check the Reconnect at
Logon checkbox. (If this is not done, the mapping will be lost when you shut
down your PC.)
Then click OK.
- This drive will now be available in Windows Explorer, and from the
File-Open or File-Save As dialog in all Windows applications.
Note:
On Windows 95/98/ME, when you try to access a folder, you may be prompted for a password, as shown below:

Network Resource Password Dialog
If your Windows logon name is the same as your user name on the
Network Storage Link, but the passwords are different, you can enter your
Network Storage Link password here.
But if your Windows logon name does not exist on the
Network Storage Link, you will have only guest access rights, and there is no
password which you can enter in this dialog.
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Troubleshooting
This table lists some common problems, and the solution to them.
Problem 1:
|
The Network Storage Link Utility doesn't list any
Network Storage Links.
|
Solution 1:
|
Check the following:
- The Network Storage Link is properly
installed, LAN connections are OK, and it is powered ON.
- Ensure that your PC and the Network
Storage Link are on the same network segment. (If you don't have a
router, this must be the case.)
- Ensure that your PC has the TCP/IP network protocol loaded. In Windows, this
is done by using Control Panel-Network. If an entry for TCP/IP -> Network
card is not listed, use Add - Protocol - Microsoft - TCP/IP to add it.
You then need to select the new entry (TCP/IP -> Network card), click
Properties, and configure the IP Address tab.
- If your LAN has a DHCP Server, you can select "Obtain an IP Address
automatically".
- Otherwise, you must select "Specify an IP Address", and enter values for
IP Address and Subnet Mask. The IP Address range commonly
used is 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254, with a Subnet Mask of
255.255.255.0. (The Network Storage Link's default IP Address is 192.168.1.77, with
a Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.0). Remember that each device needs a unique
IP Address, and the same Subnet Mask.
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Problem 2:
|
Can't connect to the Network Storage Link with my Web Browser
|
Solution 2:
|
Check that the Network Storage Link's IP Address is not compatible
with your PC. The default IP address for the Network Storage Link is 192.168.1.77
If your LAN is using a different address range, use the Windows
utility to assign a different IP address to the Network Storage Link.
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Problem 3:
|
The Network Storage Link is configured, but I can't find it in Network
Neighborhood.
|
Solution 3
|
Try using Start - Find - Computer, and enter the Network Storage Link's
name. If this does not work, use Control Panel - Network to check
the following:
- TCP/IP protocol is installed. If not, use Add - Protocol - Microsoft -
TCP/IP to
install it.
- Check the network Bindings:
- Ensure the TCP/IP protocol is bound to your Network card (NIC).
Select
your Network card, click Properties, and then the Bindings tab. If TCP/IP is
not bound (checked), check it.
- Ensure the TCP/IP -> Network card entry is bound to the Client
for Microsoft Networks service.
Select the TCP/IP entry for your
Network Card, click Properties, and then the Bindings tab. If
Client for Microsoft Networks is not bound (checked), check it.
- If you don't have a router, check that
your IP Address is compatible with the Network Storage Link's.
(See problem 2 above.)
- If you DO have a router, check that your Gateway IP Address is set
correctly. Ask your LAN administrator for the correct value.
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Problem 4
|
When I click on the Network Storage Link icon in Network Neighborhood, I get
prompted for a password.
|
Solution 4
|
This can happen in the following situations:
- The Logon name you used on your PC is
recognized by the Network Storage Link, but the password is not.
Simply enter your Network Storage Link password, or make your
Windows password the same as the Network Storage Link password.
- The logon name you used on your PC is NOT recognized by the
Network Storage Link, and was converted to guest, with guest access rights.
Ask the Network Storage Link Administrator to create a user name for you. (Use the same name as on your PC.)
- You do NOT have access permission for this share.
Ask the Network Storage Link Administrator to grant you access.
Note: Windows 9x/ME use the Computer name, as shown on Control
Panel - Network - Identification, as the default Logon Name.
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